A New Beginning
by EyExCaNdY
Summary: This is a BtVSHP crossover... Now that the Ministry finally admitted to the public that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named had risen again, they are doing all they can to make their mistakes forgotten and are getting all the help they can for the oncoming war. R&R!
1. Aftermath

Ch. 1 Aftermath  
  
Waking up in her not so new room, the petite blonde sat up, taking in her surroundings for the 30th time since the gang arrived at the Hyperion Hotel a month ago. One month since the battle against The First Evil. Exactly a month since she put the Sunnydale Hellmouth and all the stores above it out of business. Slayers were activated all over the world.  
  
Buffy sulked out of her queen sized bed and slowly made her way to the mirror on her closet door. She stared at her tear stained face, disgusted with herself and yet not willing to do anything to fix it. Ever since the final battle against The First, ever since Spike sacrificed himself, she hadn't been able to do anything too productive. She looked at herself in the mirror again and gazed into her own eyes. They had once been full of hope and determination and were as green as the grass on the ground on a sunny Spring morning. Currently, they were dull and empty. All of her happiness was buried somewhere in the remains of Sunnydale High. The only things that were holding her to the Earth were Willow, Xander, Giles, but most of all, Dawn, her little key. Buffy thought of Dawn as she went through her daily routines of brushing her hair, teeth, getting dressed, and tidying up her room. She didn't bother with make-up anymore because no amount of cover-up could make the dark circles under he eyes disappear.  
  
A soft knock came from the door. Buffy mumbled something that vaguely sounded like 'Come in.' and Dawn stepped through the doorway. Expecting Buffy to still be in bed, when she heard noise in the bathroom it startled her. She turned towards Buffy and said "Hey." Dawn gave her a weak smile.  
  
"Hey, you." Buffy said and hugged her. She wore the same unreadable expression on her face that she had since the battle. Dawn almost smirked when she got a good look at what Buffy was wearing. She had taken up Faiths style in clothing and was wearing tight, dark denim jeans, a black mesh tee shirt with a black tank underneath, and a long leather duster. She remembered the long hours they spent together, wandering from store to store until they finally found a jacket like Spikes.  
  
There was a long silence before Buffy made up her mind. "I'm going patrolling." She looked at Dawn. Her reaction was exactly how she imagined it. She had a look of joy, surprise, and worry on her face.  
  
"Buffy.. are you sure you.."  
  
Buffy cut her off. "Yes." She said simply and walked out of her room. Buffy had slept the month away and her need to fight was almost as strong as her new addiction to cigarettes.  
  
She walked outside and into the refreshing night air. Buffy walked around the park and waited a good ten minutes before lighting up a cigarette. It was another ten minutes before she met her first vampire.  
  
"Hey cutie." He said, approaching her.  
  
Buffy rolled her eyes. "I don't want to deal with a newbie, give me a challenge!" she begged The Powers. Buffy lazily chucked a stake threw the vampires button up shirt and he was soon a pile of dust on the ground.  
  
Buffy lit up another cigarette, enjoying being back outside again, when she saw another vampire heading her way. She took a long hit from her cigarette, then flicked it and walked towards the vamp. "Oh, I'm so lucky to have found a big, strong man like you to escort me home! The dark is so.. scary!" An old aching rose in her stomach and a small twinkle appeared in her eyes. This was one of her favorite acts. It somewhat reminded her of Cordelia. She vampire didn't recognize her as the slayer, which would make staking him even more fun.  
  
"Yeah, lucky you." He said, closing the distance between them. He put his game face on and sprang at Buffy.  
  
"Now, Mr. Vampire, that wasn't very nice! I don't really like being bitten by dirt like you.!" Buffy flung him against the nearest tombstone. He just smiled. Buffy was startled but it, but didn't show it. "I should smack that smile right off your face." Buffy pulled out her stake, ready to strike.  
  
"Do it." The vampire said, ready for the hit.  
  
"I was planning on it, but do you have to take the fun out of it?" She looked at him for a moment then threw the stake through his heart. Not even a second later she was attacked from behind and knocked to the ground. Buffy was stunned for a second then jumped up, cursing herself for staying in bed and not training.  
  
"What's wrong, Slayer, can't recognize a vampire when you see one?" The new vamp teased.  
  
"You wish." Buffy reached up and broke a branch off the nearest tree and swung out behind her then to her right, dusting two more vampires. She kicked out and spun around, kicking at least four vamps off their feet. "So, what's the occasion?" she said, realizing she was surrounded by at least 20 vampires. 'I shouldn't have let the newbies patrol by themselves. Doesn't look like they were doing a very good job.' She cursed herself again. She was finally gaining her Buffy-ness back. Her fight and attitude were back but she still could feel a hole in her heart. Buffy was concentrating on the vampires too hard to realize that the Scoobies were walking towards her in the distance, obviously worried, but not panicking. The leader vampire continued to tell Buffy that they were out to kill all the newly activated Slayers. She sprinted up to him and tackled him to the ground, which caught him by surprise. "You take to long to explain a simple thing like a party. Let me give you and example of a quick explanation. This," Buffy acknowledged a piece of wood in her hand. "Is a stake." She pressed it to where his heart was. "And this is how it's used." Buffy pressed down but before it pierced through his skin, she was pulled off him by some of his minions.  
  
"I really don't need and explanation on that, I know how it works." He took her original abandoned stake off the ground and made a swift movement to his left, not breaking eye contact with Buffy, and staked the nearest vampire. This surprised Buffy and she stopped struggling to get free from the grip her captor had on her fists, which he was holding behind her back. "I don't believe I introduced myself. I'm Sangadora. And I'm about to kill my sixth Slayer." He smile wickedly at her and began to walk towards her.  
  
"That6's where you're wrong. The only reason you got to kill the others is because they were new. Inexperienced." Now Buffy was the one that was smiling. She quickly broke the wrists of the amp that was holding her and threw her stake down, dusting him while he was screaming in pain, holding his wrists. "I'm The Slayer. I battled the first and many before that. And I beat them all. Oh yeah, and dying isn't something new to me." The vamp was shocked but quickly covered it up with a mischievous grin.  
  
"But you are new around here. I've heard about you and you've been hiding in your room, waiting to die. Just think of what I'm about to do.. as a favor. And don't worry, you don't have to pay me back." Buffy felt herself being pushed to the ground and held down by more than one vampire. Sangadora's words played over and over in her head. 'He's right. I have been waiting to die.' She cried at the thought and realized she didn't want to live her life like that. Right now she had enough rage inside her, enough emotion, to slay all the vamps in the world and end the need for Vampire Slayers. A stinging from the side of her neck brought her back to reality and she realized with horror all throughout her that Sangadora had bitten her. And as much as she struggled, she was well out numbered with what seemed to be all the vampires in L.A. on top of her, but really, it was just about ten of fifteen. As everything was going black and her whole life was flashing before her eyes the weight on her legs, arms, and body was getting lighter and lighter. Then, suddenly, Sangadora was pulled off of her and he was running into the distance of the park. Buffy blinked, realizing what had just happened. Willow, Xander, Angel, and Dawn were all kneeling down next to her, crying and screaming her name. They were all holding her hands. With as much strength as she could muster, she squeezed their hands and said, "I love you guys.. I'm not done here yet.. I.. will find and kill.. that bastard.. Sangador..a.." she whispered her murderers name and with a last tear rolling down her soft cheek, the oldest Slayer in the history of Vampire Slayers died. For the third time. 


	2. Old Loves

Chapter 2: Old Loves  
  
"No! Buffy! Please NO!!" Dawn burst into hysterical sobs after Buffy's grip on her tender fingers loosened. Dawn looked around for someone to tell her this wasn't real. That Buffy was just playing dead. By no one said anything. Willow had collapsed into Xanders arms who was also crying. Dawn looked behind her at Angel. She tried to make eye contact with him but he was staring at Buffy's empty face and tears were making rivers down his pale cheeks. She crawled into his arms and was angry when she found little comfort from the crying vampire. She couldn't move because she was shaking too much so she just stayed there, crying into his shoulder.  
  
Fifteen minutes later they were all still crying but had silently decided to take Buffy's limp body back to the Hyperion and break the news to everyone.  
  
It was late and everyone in the hotel was asleep so there were no questions about the body they carried up the stairs and into Buffy's old room. Dawn couldn't bring herself to step foot in there, fearing she would never be able to stop crying. As Dawn looked in from the doorway she saw Willow fall to her knees at the bedside, whimpering things like, "Not again.. No, no.. Please no!" And Xander stood next to her obviously in shock. Dawn quietly walked downstairs, trying to think of anything but her dead sister. She saw Angel sitting at his desk drinking blood like a drunken man. Dawn walked up to him.  
  
"You can't possibly still be hungry." She said through sobs. She looked at all the empty mugs on his desk.  
  
"This can't be happening." Angel ignored her statement. "No.. Not now.. Not after.. No." Angel whispered.  
  
"Please tell me she's not really.. She's still.. Right? Please.." Dawn was looking at Angel from her new position on her knees in front of his desk.  
  
Angel didn't know what to say. "I.. I'm.. I'm sorry Dawn.." he muttered. He got up from where he was to go embrace the hurting Key but she was too fast and ran up the stairs, past Buffy's room and into her own, which was three rooms down.  
  
Kelly woke up when the door to her room at the Hyperion was opened and slammed shut. She glanced over at the clock and saw that it was 1:03 in the morning. She was about to yell at her roommate when she heard her crying uncontrollably into her pillow. She had gotten used to Dawn crying at night ever since the battle against The First. Sometimes she even did it herself, when she dreamt about her parents. After listening closely to Dawn, Kelly realized that this wasn't crying from a memory. This was about something that happened just recently. Kelly rubbed her eyes and then sat up in her bed. "Dawn, honey, what's wrong?" she asked slowly, then yawned loudly.  
  
Dawn sniffed and then turned around to face her best friend, Kelly. "Sorry I woke you." She said, drying her eyes for a second.  
  
"Why are you crying so hard?" Kelly asked curiously.  
  
Dawn thought about not telling her until tomorrow. She really didn't feel like talking about it right now. Then she figured that she would find out sooner or later. "It's.. Buffy.." Dawn started crying again and Kelly rushed to her side, giving her friend a will needed hug. "She's.. She was patrolling.. And.. She's dead, Kelly. She got bit.. And.. She died, right there in our hands.. She died." Dawn admitted it to Kelly and herself. Her sister was gone forever this time. There was no bringing her back. She was gone. The two teens sat like that before an idea popped into Kelly's head.  
  
"Well.. Can Willow do her magicks and.. You know.." she suggested, still holding Dawn tightly. They had become like sisters over the past few weeks, and Buffy was like a mother. The Bringers had killed Kelly's dad, mom, and sister when they came to get her and realized that Buffy had already gotten to her.  
  
"No. She would never. Now that she knows that Buffy belongs in Heaven." Dawn answered.  
  
"So.. She's.. Gone." Kelly stated.  
  
"Yeah.. my Buffy's gone.." Dawn and Kelly fell asleep holding each other and didn't wake up the next day until Xander knocked on the door. The girls stirred, yawned, and sat up as he came in the room.  
  
"There's someone downstairs who wants to talk to all of us." He said quietly. He obviously didn't get enough sleep last night, if any. The dark circles were as bad as Buffy's were and hers took a month to get. His eyes were red and swollen from crying.  
  
While Dawn quickly got up to hug him, Kelly stretched and asked, "What time is it?"  
  
Still hugging Dawn, he replied, "7:34."  
  
"Uhhnn.." Kelly rolled over and closed her eyes. Whoever it was, was going to have to wait.  
  
Xander would usually have laughed buy with the recent events he just said, "Come on, kiddo, he can't stay long." Dawn squeezed him one last time before she let go to help Kelly get out of bed.  
  
"Yeah, yeah." Kelly got up and shooed Xander out of the room so they could get dressed.  
  
"Just don't take an hour and a half like usual. He really can't stay long." Xander said and then he shut the door behind him.  
  
* * *  
  
"NO!! NO, NO, NO, NO!! THIS ISN'T HAPPENING!! NOT AGAIN NO!!!" the figure screamed as it bounced from one fluffy wall to another. "WHY ME!! WHY!! I DON'T BELONG UP HERE YET!! YOU DON'T NEED ME, THEY DO!!" it tried to point down but realized it didn't have hands, or arms legs, or a body. "WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO TO ME?" it screamed.  
  
"Calm down Elizabeth." A voice said. Buffy spun around trying to see who it was. All she saw were at least ten other fluff's like her.  
  
"WHY AM I HERE!! I WANT TO BE WITH HER. I NEED TO BE WITH DAWN!"  
  
"We realize that Elizabeth, but you died. Again. And you are here. With us." They said.  
  
"And me." Said someone from behind her.  
  
Buffy spun around and saw her mother floating towards her. If Buffy was still human a tear would have rolled down her cheeks. But instead Buffy heard the thunder stop and it began to rain. "Mom?"  
  
"Yes honey.. Concentrate real hard on a picture of yourself and you will appear that way." Joyce said, realizing that Buffy was still a ball of fluff.  
  
Buffy did as she was told and became Buffy shaped again. Except she had wings and her face was glittering with golden shimmer. She was wearing a white flowing gown with gold sparkles randomly scattered over it. "Woah.. mom, tell them I don't belong here! I need to be with Dawn!! She needs me!" Buffy spun around, looking at herself in awe.  
  
"But I need you here." Joyce said slowly.  
  
Those words took Buffy by surprise. "Why weren't you here the last time I was in heaven?"  
  
"I was.. It was just.. I saw Willow preparing to take you down again so I didn't think.. I didn't want to see you if you were just going to leave me again." Joyce realized something and then her words became hurried. "It's your choice honey. Please I don't have long here before they realize that I'm here." Joyce looked up and Buffy saw the ten fluff's above them, they were gathered into a tight circle, talking about something in hushed voices. "Please." Joyce said desperately then disappeared.  
  
"I'm sorry, mom." After those words and a tear sliding down her cheek Buffy went berserk. She started screaming louder than ever and then she turned back into a fluff. She bounced off the walls and continued screaming. "I DON'T WANT TO BE HERE! I WANT TO GO DOWN TO EARTH! I WANT TO BE WITH MY FRIENDS AND WITH MY DAWN!"  
  
"Shush up, girl." A darker cloud appeared from the opposite side of the 'room'.  
  
"Don't you tell me to do ANYTHING!" Buffy flung herself at the cloud and it was scattered. This caught the attention of the other clouds, which were discussing something in their circle, above Buffy.  
  
"Elizabeth, it takes a lot of skill and determination to do that." One of them said, it was a light pink color and its voice was high and sort of squeaky.  
  
"Not to mention, Power." A blue one said. Its voice was deep and commanding.  
  
"Maybe we were wrong about you. Earth really could use someone like you." A yellow one said that, it had a voice quite like Buffy's. Before Buffy could respond to any of those comments the clouds disappeared just as her mother had. Buffy went crazy again, bouncing off walls and screaming. It was what seemed like days to Buffy, but was really only hours, before she decided to sleep. She went to the bottom of her 'room' and buried herself in the cloud, finding it to be extremely comfortable, maybe a little too comfortable. Buffy laughed at the thought and then fell asleep instantly. She woke up after a long, and well needed, sleep to find a bright white cloud looking down on her. Buffy concentrated and turned into an Angel again.  
  
"What do you want." She said, stretching her wings and arms.  
  
"Ha ha ha.. I always did love your attitude. I used to watch you during your battles with the vampires of the Earth." The fluff said and then it took form. It was a tall, old man. He had white hair and was very tall. He wore what looked like a sheet for clothing and it was tied on with a golden chain.  
  
"Let me guess, the Powers That Be?"  
  
"Second in Command." Said the man. "But I'm not here to introduce myself. It takes a lot of power to make another Angel disappear, even in their cloud form." He informed Buffy.  
  
"And?"  
  
"And that means you are higher than an Angel."  
  
"Oh really.. and why does that concern me? I don't even want to be here. I want to be downstairs, with my sister.." Buffy began to plead. "She needs me." Tears were forming in her eyes.  
  
"Elizabeth, please. I can't stand the puppy eyes."  
  
Buffy put on her best puppy eyes ever but she didn't have to pretend that much because she really was crying. She couldn't stand this place. The majority of it reeked of her mom. But in the other part, Buffy looked over at the darker corner, it smelled of Spike. And she couldn't stand that. She wouldn't be able too. Just then a form burst through the empty corner. It was a dark cloud, almost black. Buffy was about to charge at it again but it distracted her when it said, "Buffy?" she could recognize that accent anywhere.  
  
"SPIKE!" Buffy flew over to the cloud just as it was turning into an Angel. He was dressed in red, the same outfit as the other guy.  
  
"William, what are you doing here?" the man asked.  
  
"None of your bloody business, not that you don't know anyway." Spike glared at the man then turned to Buffy and embraced her as if he thought she would float away if he let go. "I can't stand it here, Buffy. I can't. It smell's too much like.. you."  
  
"And mine of you." She said but silenced him with a kiss. "I missed you." She said. She looked into his blue orbs and saw complete joy, and a little bit of surprise from the kiss.  
  
"This place is driving me crazy, love." He said, resting his head on her shoulders.  
  
"I've been bouncing off the walls. I can't stand it here. Dawn needs me, Spike. I can feel her."  
  
"Yeah.." Spike waved his arm and the clouds next to them parted to reveal a birds eye view of the inside of the Hyperion Hotel.  
  
"Oh God.." Buffy said as she saw Angel carry her dead body back to the hotel. She looked at Xander, who was carrying a sobbing Willow. And then at Dawn, who could barely walk. She kept falling down and banging the ground with her fists.  
  
"It's a tough site to see. But it was harder to watch you loose your touch when you sat in bed for thirty days." Spike said, a tear sliding down his cheek.  
  
"I don't know what to do, Spike. My mom said it was up to me whether or not I want to stay here." Buffy let that sink in. "And I want to stay, I really do. But.." Buffy couldn't finish her sentence because Spike was floating up to the giant man.  
  
"IT'S OUR BLOODY CHOICE??? YOU SAID I HAD TO STAY HERE!! YOU NEVER SAID ANYTHING ABOUT CHOOSING!" Spike was yelling at him.  
  
"Spike.." Buffy said, trying to calm him down but it was too lat, he was pissed.  
  
"William, Joyce said it was her choice." He said, putting emphasis on 'her'. "She never said anything about you."  
  
Spike realized what he said and sank back down to Buffy. "Spike.."  
  
"Go, just bloody go. But remember, I love you, pet. You are all I feel. All I know." Spike said, hugging Buffy tight to him.  
  
"I'll be leaving my heart with you. You stole it from me and I can't live without it.. Without you." Buffy said into his shoulder.  
  
Spike didn't know what to say to that. He just rocked her in his arms. Loving every second of it, he didn't want it to end. Having every memory of her is so much different than having the real thing in his hands.  
  
"Spike.. you don't understand. I.. I love you. I really do.. and I want to be with you.. but.." Buffy paused.  
  
"Always a but."  
  
"Dawn needs me Spike."  
  
"Bloody well figures!" he said.  
  
"Well you can't leave your heart behind now, can you?" the man said, he had been listening to their heart wrenching conversation.  
  
"What do you mean?" Spike said, hoping he heard the big man right. But before he could answer he saw Buffy disappear and he fell forward. "WHAT DID YOU DO WITH HER?" Spike spun around and dug at the spot where she was.  
  
"The same thing I've decided to do with you." Spike cocked his head at him but before he could say anything he felt a pull in his stomach and then everything went black. 


	3. Sleepless Thoughts

[A/N: A special thanks to my reviewers, bDraco-FutureBF/b- I don't think so, you will SO NOT be going out with Draco!! [in you're s/n], Draco is mine!!! *insert evil grin here* bBrutal2003/b- You will find out if Buffy is dead or not, soon enough! bManiacPlea/bhehe, it's ok, I like ramblings, it makes me feel important, it's something other than 'update now, bitch!' lmao  
  
Ok, now on to my story!!!  
  
Chapter 3: Sleepless Thoughts  
  
Kelly woke up from her dream in a sweat. She wiped the little beads of perspiration from her forehead and nose while getting up and turning on the lights of the room she shared with Dawn Summers at the Hyperion Hotel. "Not again.." she complained. Kelly strode over to the desk at the back of the room and unlocked the bottom drawer to the right. She pulled out a tiny blue journal and began writing the details of her dream down while she could still remember it.  
  
She wrote:  
  
I19th time I've had this dream. Some of the newer details-  
  
The two figures that are surrounded by the black circle have blonde hair. I know that I know their names but I can't seem to put my finger on them. Instead of a black circle, as I saw in all my other dreams, I can now see at least 25 different people. All dressed in long, black robes with white masks. They are all pointed thin, wooden things at the two blondes, but they are too thin to be stakes. A taller, creature like figure, dressed like the others, walks into the circle and a bright light flies out of the end of his wooden rod and the two blondes fall to their knees. He backs away and two more creatures, taller than the other, glide in, literally glide, and they each stand in front of one of the blondes. Then everything goes blurry and I can't see anymore.  
  
-Kelly/I  
  
Kelly closed the journal and slid it back into its position underneath a fake bottom in the drawer. Kelly turned around to go back to her bed and screamed. When she realized whom it was she settled down and started to laugh.  
  
"Getting a little jumpy, aren't we?" the girl said and joined Kelly in on the laughing.  
  
"Don't ever sneak up on a slayer, Dawn." Kelly retorted, sitting down on her bed and glancing at the clock. It clearly read 3:24 a.m.  
  
"Yes, well a REAL slayer would have punched me in the face." Dawn said, jokingly and sat down next to Kelly on the bed. "Anywho, what's with the secret journal?"  
  
"Oh.. It's nothing.." Kelly said, moving under her blanket and reaching over to shut the light off.  
  
Dawn quickly turned it back on. "If we're gonna be best friends then you're gonna have to be completely honest with me! I tell you everything!"  
  
"You didn't tell me that you were a Key."  
  
"Yeah well you found out anyway.. So tell me!" Dawn said, begging her. She tried to hold back the tears of the memories that flowed into her head. Of when she watched Buffy sacrifice her for Dawn, when she used to sneak out and break Buffy's heart when she said those terrible things to her.. She pushed the memories out of her head and tried to keep her attention on Kelly.  
  
"Ok, ok.." Kelly told Dawn about the dream that she had been having for the past couple weeks. She left out the part about why she always wrote her dreams down. Kelly's mom had had a lot of faith in dreams and made her keep a Dream Journal. Her mom would go through it and predict things every now and then. Kelly didn't believe it until she predicted Kelly becoming something stronger, and more powerful, and she predicted her own death. So she was now trying to learn how to break the dreams down into what they meant. But Kelly was having trouble with this one. She couldn't break it down.  
  
"That isn't a dream." Dawn stated.  
  
"What? Of course it is, I saw it when I was sleeping, so what else could it be?"  
  
"It's part of you're slayer-ness." Dawn tried to explain. Still seeing the confused look on Kelly's face, she continued. "Sometimes, I'm not really sure when, Slayers get Prophetic Dreams, where you see the future or something and you try and prevent it." Dawn yet again had to hold back the tears building up in her eyes as she explained this. 'Buffy used to get those all the time.' She thought. Dawn thought back to all the times Buffy had shared her dreams with Dawn, during their 'sister bonding' times.  
  
"Oh, that explains it."  
  
Dawn was about to ask, 'Explains what?' but Xander knocked quietly on the door, waited a few seconds for a reply, then walked in. The girls easily pretended to be asleep, having done it plenty of times before.  
  
"Girls, time to get up!" Dawn, still lying down next to Kelly, threw the pillow she was using to cover her face at Xander. It hit him square in his head and startled him a little bit. "Come on, Dawn, we're having a traditional Scoobie Gang Meeting! You don't wanna miss out on that!" Xander said, knowing he was battling on the losing side. In response to Xanders last comment, Kelly through her pillow at him. Both the girls started laughing as Xander made a 'huff'-ing sound and walked out of the room.  
  
Dawn got up and shut the door. "I guess we should get ready for the day!" she said, and began looking through her wardrobe, quickly looking at the clock. It now read 5:45. She silently cursed Xander for calling a meeting so early, but then realized that he was probably just bored, he hadn't been able to sleep anymore than she had. Kelly woke her up just a few hours after she finally fell asleep. Breaking away from her thoughts on sleep, or lack there of, she went weak in the knees when she came across the leather jacket she had gotten Buffy for her birthday so many years ago. Dawn took out a black mesh top and a neon pink tank top to go underneath and threw them on her bed. She took out a pair of black cargo pants with zippers up the back of the legs and on all the pockets and threw that on her bed, along with the leather jacket.  
  
Kelly wore a beige, fitted t-shirt with faded jeans. Over the tee she wore a dark jean jacket. As soon as Dawn was done changing into her outfit they walked downstairs. Dawn was surprised when no one commented on her unusual Gothic-y-ness but then realized that no one really knew what to say, or how to act around her except for the Slayers, who had all lost their parents to Bringers and in return, had killed the Bringers themselves.  
  
"So, what's with the get together? Another big-bad in town already?" Kelly asked, she had caught on to the Scoobie language soon after being rescued by Buffy, having attended many meetings herself. She took a seat on one of the open couches, along with Dawn. Xander was the one to begin the meeting.  
  
"Well.. With Buffy.. Yeah.. We didn't really.. um.. Wills? A little help? Xander gave up as a tear rolled down his cheek. Willow could see more threatening to spill so she took over.  
  
"When Buffy was killed we were lost." She began, and her eyes were watering up. "And, well.. as you know, I took you all off patrol. If Buffy was taken down by a simple vampire, we need to pump up the training." Willow could hear the moans and groans coming from the Slayers. "Listen, all you newbies don't know much about the world of demons. It's tough. And Buffy lived through it longer than she was supposed to. She was stronger than most of you will ever be." Willow said, almost whispering out the last sentence. 'Buffy was so much better at these speeches!' she thought, the tears silently making their journey down her cheek and dripping off her chin. "But that's besides the point. As all of you know, we will be leaving for.. Um.. England in August." Willow went on to explain the details of their journey. When she was done, she thought to herself, 'Giles will be so proud of me! I didn't give out any unneeded information and still gave a pretty good speech!' she Congratulated herself but then saw Dawns doubtful gaze. Willow gave her a feeble grin then went to the other side of the room to begin handing out the pamphlets she made up the night before.  
  
"She's keeping something from us." Dawn whispered to Kelly as Willow handed out the plane tickets and needed information for their trip.  
  
"So I'm not the only one that can tell that?" Kelly replied, skimming through the paragraphs of tourist attractions and mini English-British dictionary that Willow handed her.  
  
"Every since Giles dropped by the other night before he left for England himself she's been acting all giddy and happy-go-lucky." Dawn said, watching Willow prance around the room. At the mention of Giles, his face popped into her head. The look on it was devastating. When Angel told Giles the news about Buffy, Dawn didn't think she could take it. All during his lecture about how they were needed in England and blah blah blah he sounded like a robot, just going through the motions. [A/N: Sorry, I couldn't help myself!!!] "There is something.. weird.. about this trip!" Dawn concluded, saying what they both were thinking.  
  
"Yeah.." Kelly was too deep in thought to come up with a better answer to Dawns comment than that. She looked down at the last paragraph in the pamphlet.  
  
INot to worry, everyone will be sticking together at a new school! That's right, Slayers and Scoobies, we will all be going to school again! Doesn't that sound like fun? We will all go shopping for supplies and robes when we get there. You will be learning new skills, along with extending your strength. Before you start school you will need to learn a new currency, government, and practically a new way of life! I hope you're as excited as I am!/I  
  
"Ok, Willow is now officially the nerdiest person that I know! She's making us to go school!!" Kelly complained.  
  
"What did you expect? Just because you're a Slayer doesn't mean you don't have to go to school. Being a Slayer isn't a paying job you know." Dawn thought about what she had just said and searched through her memory for the time Buffy got a job at the Burger place. She cried again, if only she could take back all the things she said to Buffy about her never being there. 'I was so selfish.' She thought. Then a tap on her shoulder brought her back to reality.  
  
"Yoo, earth to Dawn! Did you hear me?" Dawn shook her head no. "I said, I've been to England before, it's not much different than here, why is she emphasizing it as being a new way of life?" she questioned, Dawn just shook her head in bewilderment and led Kelly up into their room to catch up on lost sleep.  
  
[A/N: I know it's a really awkward place to read it but I need to figure out exactly how I'm going to break the news to them about--- err.. something. SOO I'm going to leave it here.. sorry!] 


	4. Lost Luggage

Chapter 4: Lost Luggage  
  
Dawn boarded the plane to England with the rest of the gang; she went over all the possible explanations for this trip in her head. Willow and Xander claimed that Giles needed help rebuilding the council, but that really old Tumbledork guy didn't seem to know any details about how the council was doing. The whole thing seemed really.. fishy to her.  
  
"You doing okay, Dawnie?" Willow asked, sitting down in the row of seats across the isle from Dawn and Kelly.  
  
"Yeah.. I'm just.. thinking." She replied, looking out the window. Dawn saw Kennedy sit next to Willow and Xander sit in the seat in front of her, then she fell asleep listening to Mindless Self Indulgence. Kelly fell asleep shortly after Dawn did and they slept through the entire flight only to have their sleep interrupted when the flight attendant announced that they would be landing soon. Kelly got out a pack of Winterfresh gum and got a stick out for herself and Dawn. About a pack of gum later, they were exiting the plane, into the London airport.  
  
A while later, Dawn found herself at the Lost Luggage area. "God damnit! Why am I always the one that gets their luggage lost?" Dawn complained as she finished filling out the forms and turned them in. She walked back over to the group. "They'll call." She said in the most annoying high-pitched voice she could. Willow snickered and Kelly rolled her eyes.  
  
The gang walked out of the airport and gathered in a little circle on the sidewalk across from the airport. "So, how are we going to get where ever we're supposed to go?" One of the Slayers named Brandi asked.  
  
"Well.." Willow looked like she was getting ready to go into another one of her deep explanations and a few of the girls, including Dawn and Kelly, sighed with relief when Brandi pointed out that the old man standing next to the big bus looked familiar.  
  
"Professor Dumbledore!" Willow exclaimed.  
  
"I was afraid, for a moment, that you wouldn't recognize me." The professor said.  
  
Willow giggled and then said, "I'm assuming that this bus is for us?"  
  
"You assumed correct." Dumbledore said.  
  
"Wait.. Professor?" Dawn asked. "I thought you were from the council?"  
  
"I guess we have some explaining to do." Willow said, gesturing towards the bus. Once everyone was on and settled in, Willow began speaking again. "This is Professor Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." Willow looked around at all the confused faces.  
  
"There's a school for magic?" Dawn asked, it looked like she was the only one that remembered how to talk.  
  
"Actually, more than one. They're all over the world, even in America."  
  
"Then.. I'm assuming that we're coming over here to go to your school?" One of the girls asked. Dumbledore nodded and she continued. "Then why the hell are we flying all the way over here, what's so special about your school?" The girl ran her hand through her black hair and stuck her nose in the air. A few of the Slayers gave her dirty looks; she wasn't one of the favorite girls in the pack.  
  
"Because for one, Voldemort is here, in England. And secondly, we're combining our Slayerette program with Dumbledore's school." Willow answered, it looked like she had done some corresponding with Professor Dumb-lee-door.  
  
"As Ms. Rosenberg just informed you, I have offered Hogwarts as a training base for you and any other Slayers you may recruit. A war has begun in the wizarding world and we are going to need all the help we can get. I will be opening a few new classes like Muggle Defense, Research, and History of Slayers. You will be required to take these classes along with basic Potions, Charms, Transfiguration, Herbology, and of course Defense against the Dark Arts." Dumbledore when on with his speech to explain about wands, robes, the currency and much more information that he thought would me necessary. Everyone on the bus was listening intently and trying to remember every bit of information he told them.  
  
After he was done, Xander, who had been driving, informed them tat it would only be about another fifteen minutes before they reached the hotel that they would be staying in until school started.  
  
"Oh, and here are all of your letters." Dumbledore pulled out a pile of envelopes from inside his robe and tossed them into the air. All of the Slayers watched in amazement as each one of the letters floating to its owner.  
  
Dawn and Kelly grabbed theirs and peeled the wax seal off before tearing the envelope open and reading the letter. The looked at the list of things and Dawn put words to the question that everyone was thinking. "We don't have any money. How are we going to pay for this?"  
  
"The Ministry of Magic has agreed to have the bills sent to them and they will take care of it. After all, you are coming to help us with the oncoming war." Dumbledore winked and the twinkle in his eye grew brighter. "I believe in the muggle world you would call this system.. credit cards?"  
  
"You mean.. we are each going to get our own credit card?" Dawn asked, not believing it. 'Buffy would have loved this..' she thought, and a tear slide silently down her cheek. Dawn had put on a strong face and kept her emotions bottled up, saved for another time, she learned that skill from Buffy.  
  
"Yes, you will each have your own." Dumbledore answered.  
  
Dawn leaned her head back against the overstuffed seat. "I knew they were hiding something." She grinned at Kelly who just rolled her eyes and rested her head on Dawns shoulder.  
  
"When is all this battling gonna end?" Kelly asked. Dawn knew she wasn't asking her, she was asking The Powers That Be. Dawn had lost her faith in any God or Goddess that watched over them. If they had truly cared, they wouldn't have taken her mom or Spike from her, let alone Buffy. Dawn leaned her head on top of Kelly's and quietly whispered an answer to her question. "It doesn't.. none of this ever ends." Dawn let a few more tears slide down her cheek as she fell asleep thinking about her lost sister.  
  
A/N: I know that this is a really short chapter, but I feel really bad for not updating for like a year.. I'm trying my best but I have a really bad case of writers block! So leave a review!! 


	5. Metallic Pink

Chapter 5: Metallic Pink  
  
Just a few minutes after Dawn fell asleep, she woke back up, sobbing. Kelly was now lying back in her chair so Dawn could move, and she did just that. Dawn got up and moved to the very last seat on the bus and brought her legs up to her chest and let her tears flow. She hadn't really been able to cry freely in a while and it felt good.  
  
"God, Buffy! I miss you so much!" Dawn whispered in between sobs.  
  
"She knows, Dawnie." Willow said, sitting down in the seat next to her and wrapping a comforting arm around her. Dawn leaned into her and continued to cry.  
  
"I don't know what to do without her! Nothing's the same!" Dawn confessed to Willow, hoping that the Wicca would have some kind of advice to make the hole in her heart shrink a little.  
  
"I know, Dawnie. And I wish there was some way to bring her back.. well there is.. but.. I'm not.. well, you know what happened.." Willow babbled on trying to finish her sentence, though very unsuccessfully.  
  
"I got ya', Wills." Dawn said, smiling slightly at her friends attempt to make her feel better.  
  
Willow wiped away some tears from her cheeks before squeezing Dawns hand and walking back up to the front of the bus.  
  
Dawn's eyes followed Willow until she sat down in her seat, and then she looked at all the Slayers silently. All of them were so into their new life that they never thought about their lost families. None of them knew Buffy very well so not many of them were affected very much by her death, but it hit Dawn hard. She always thought of her sister as immortal. She never pictured herself without an older sister to look out for her. Dawn turned her attention to the window and the scenery they passed as they made their way to the hotel.  
  
Dawn soon found herself carrying her bag up to the hotel room that she shared with Kelly, Willow, and Kennedy. Kelly, thankfully, hadn't asked why Dawn had changed seats. Dawn figured that her blonde friend already knew. Dawn watched Willow put her pictures of Giles, Andrew, Wood, and Faith on the dresser top. They were all involved in the Council and they rarely talked anymore, but that doesn't mean that they're forgotten.  
  
Dawn plopped down, face first into the nearest queen sized bed. Kelly sat down next to her and rubbed her hand in circles on Dawns back to try and comfort her.  
  
Willow was fixing her hair in the mirror and Kennedy was unpacking her small suitcase into one of the drawers of the dresser.  
  
"You look absolutely smashing, darling." Willows reflection told her. This made Willow jump backwards with a quiet, "Eep!" Kennedy laughed at her girlfriend and enveloped her in a hung before turning to Dawn and Kelly.  
  
"Hey Dawn." She said to get her attention. Dawn turned her head to face the gay couple. "Me, Wills, and a few of the other girls are gonna go and get our credit cards and go shopping, you guys wanna come?"  
  
Dawn and Kennedy never really got along in the past so this meant something to Dawn. She smiled before replying, "Sure, I'll be ready in a few."  
  
Kennedy's lips curled up into a smile also. "We'll be down in the lobby." She told her as she followed Willow out the door.  
  
Willow lead the pack of supernaturally enhanced girls, and Xander, through the back door of the Leaky Cauldron.  
  
"I guess we're lucky that we only brought five out of the eleven slayers.." Xander commented, noting how cramped they were with the five girls, Dawn, Willow, and himself.  
  
"Usually, people don't go shopping in Diagon Alley in such big groups." A man said from behind the group. Everyone turned towards the brick wall to match the familiar voice with a face.  
  
"But you.. how.." Kennedy said, trying to figure out how he got in the small alley.  
  
"Ahh, another mystery of magic." He said, well-known twinkle returning to his eyes.  
  
"Apparation." Willow informed the group.  
  
"And I see you've been doing some research, Ms. Rosenberg." Dumbledore said.  
  
"Wasn't that easy, you guys hide this world extremely well." Willow said, blushing slightly.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"How.." one of the slayers began to ask.  
  
"Well.." Dumbledore said, pausing.  
  
"Yeah, yeah.. magic." Andrea, a Slayerette said, grinning.  
  
"Very correct, Ms. Stokes." Dumbledore smiled and then pulled his wand out of his robe and turned to the wall. "Remember this," he said, "Two up, three across." he finished, tapping the bricks with his wand. The bricks slowly moved aside, creating a beautiful brick archway to walk through. "Welcome to Diagon Alley, my friends. Now, I have some business to attend to so, here are your cards," Dumbledore tossed the cards the same way he did with the letters, "No need to go to Gringotts, the bank, and feel free to purchase anything that you would like. In my opinion, the Ministry should pay for the pain they've let Voldemort cause many families." The twinkle left his eyes as he finished his speech. "Do keep in touch." And with that, he disappeared.  
  
"Disapparation." Willow said, and stepped through the archway leading to the busy Diagon Alley. She turned back around, "Everyone meet back here in three and a half hours." Then she turned and went into Flourish and Blotts, much to Kennedy's dislike.  
  
The Slayeretts dispersed through out the Alley in groups of two and three. Kelly and Dawn went into the first shop that caught their eye. From the birds and cats in the window, they judged that it was a pet store.  
  
"They are so cute!" Dawn said, looking through the glass and at a couple of tiny mice.  
  
"Eww.." was all Kelly could say. She never did like rodents that much.  
  
"Doesn't matter though, Professor Dumbledore said we could get a cat, owl, or toad." Dawn said, continuing around the counter and looking at a gigantic cage full of an assortment of owls. The cage had to be as big as her room back in Sunnyhell.  
  
"That one." Dawn said, pointing to a bird that didn't look like an owl at all. It was a purple color and had long wings and a tail that was just as long. When the light hit its feathers they looked like a metallic pink color, it gave the bird a certain glowing effect that made it look sort of angelic.  
  
"It's beautiful." Kelly said, awestruck. She had never seen anything quite like it.  
  
"Stubborn, that one. Three families have tried to purchase it but Peonixes are very picky when it comes to humans." Said a man from behind them. Both of the girls jumped out of their daze and turned around.  
  
"I want it!" Dawn said, almost begging the man. From the way he talked, she figured he was the owner of the shop.  
  
The man gave Dawn the once-over and replied, "I don't mean to be rude, miss, but that's quite an expensive bird."  
  
Dawn turned and grinned at Kelly before saying, "Oh, I'm sure I can cover it."  
  
The man shrugged, not wanting to loose a customer or two. "Okay, just wait here, I'll bring him out." He said before he walked through a door marked BIRDS and EMPLOYEES ONLY. A few seconds later, the man came through another door in the back of the cage. "While I'm back here, do you see one that you want, ma'am?"  
  
"Umm.." Kelly's eyes swept over the cage one last time before she decided on one of the smaller owls. It was mostly grey with a few white feathers here and there. "That one." She told him, pointing to the tiny owl. It was probably no bigger than her or Dawns head.  
  
The man got the two birds with little trouble and went back through the door. Soon enough, Dawn and Kelly had paid for their new pets and were walking down the road, birds in their cage.  
  
"Next shop.." Kelly said, searching for a shop that caught her interest.  
  
Dawn was lost in thought and didn't see her friend point out the hottie standing next to the ice cream shop. "The owner said this bird was picky.." Dawn said looking at her bird.  
  
"Yeah.. well, you're just so lovable, Dawn!" Kelly said, giving Dawn a big bear hug. She looked back over to where the guy was standing, but he was gone. She shrugged and walked on. 


End file.
